Supermicro Unveils Universal I/O SAS Solutions Powered by Advanced LSI RAID-On-Chip

June 20, 2007

SAN JOSE and MILPITAS, Calif., June 20, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- Super Micro Computer, Inc. (Nasdaq: SMCI) and LSI Corporation (NYSE: LSI), today announced three Supermicro Universal I/O (UIO) SAS RAID cards based on the most advanced RAID-On-Chip (ROC) available from LSI, the SAS1078. Optimized for Supermicro UIO servers, these AOC-USAS H-Series UIO cards feature 667MHz 256MB DDRII cache to deliver hardware RAID 5 and 6 data protection with flexible options for internal or external SAS/SATA connections.

"When installed, these high-performance UIO SAS cards become part of the server board, and the system still retains all of its PCI-Express and PCI-X slots for expansion cards," asserts Charles Liang, CEO and president of Supermicro. "Supermicro UIO cards enable our customers to create optimized SAS solutions to match their specific requirements."

Traditionally, customers were locked into a specific configuration for their SAS solutions depending on their static motherboard implementation. Supermicro's UIO architecture provides the freedom and flexibility to configure the same UIO motherboard with multiple options, based on the selected UIO card. For instance, the same UIO server can support 4-internal plus 4-external ports, or 8-internal ports, or 8-external ports just by changing the UIO card, and all of these solutions include a battery backup option as well.

With support for all key RAID levels including RAID 6 and 60 (protection against two simultaneous failures), these new UIO cards enable system builders to attach up to 240 physical devices. The controllers are ideal for applications requiring the connection of external storage or backup devices. With eight ports at 3 Gb/s each, these SAS solutions can achieve an aggregated 2.4GB per second throughput.

The LSI SAS1078 ROC is an integrated, single-chip SAS/SATA solution that serves as a powerful I/O storage engine capable of performing all data protection, data checking, and restoration tasks, thereby reducing board space requirements. The SAS1078 ROC provides an 8-lane, PCI-Express host interface, and a full-featured, cost-effective hardware-based RAID implementation. The LSI ROC has been validated with an LSI MegaRAID(R) software stack providing advanced data protection ideal for enterprise servers and external storage.

"LSI ROC solutions, and the SAS1078 in particular, provide the industry's most robust and proven RAID implementation," said Dan Roehrich, vice president of marketing, LSI Storage Components Group. "By selecting LSI as a technology partner, Supermicro is able to provide their customers with a highly-integrated MegaRAID solution."

    Supermicro's initial release includes the following:

    -- AOC-USAS-H4iR:    4 internal/4 external ports, RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50,
                         60 & 256MB cache
    -- AOC-USAS-H8iR:    8 internal ports, RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50,
                         60 & 256MB cache
    -- AOC-USAS-H8oR:    8 external ports, RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50,
                         60 & 256 MB cache
    -- BTR-0012L:        Optional battery backup unit for all three cards


To enable customers to further optimize their solutions, Supermicro offers the following selection of storage chassis:

    -- CSE-826 Series:     2U with 12 hot-swap 3.5" drive trays
    -- CSE-933 Series:     3U with 15 hot-swap 3.5" drive trays
    -- CSE-836 Series:     3U with 16 hot-swap 3.5" drive trays
    -- CSE-936 Series:     3U with 16 hot-swap 3.5" drive trays
    -- CSE-846 Series:     4U with 24 hot-swap 3.5" drive trays


Each of these chassis series includes an E1 and E2 model. The E1 models feature a single-port expander, while the E2 models feature dual-port expanders for full data redundancy. With Supermicro's specially designed cascading cable configuration, all E1 and E2 models are capable of cascading up to 122 enterprise SAS or SATA drives.

Liang from Supermicro emphasized that UIO servers feature earth-friendly, high-efficiency power supplies to save energy and reduce TCO. For detailed information on Supermicro's complete range of application-optimized Server Building Block Solutions(R), please visit http://www.supermicro.com. For more information on LSI, customers may visit the LSI Web site at http://www.lsi.com.

About Super Micro Computer, Inc.

Established in 1993, Supermicro emphasizes superior product design and uncompromising quality control to produce industry-leading serverboards, chassis and server systems. These mission-critical Server Building Block solutions provide benefits across many environments, including data center deployment, high-performance computing, high-end workstations, storage networks and standalone server installations. For more information on Supermicro's complete line of advanced motherboards, SuperServers, and optimized chassis, visit http://www.Supermicro.com, email Marketing@Supermicro.com or call the San Jose, CA headquarters at +1-408-503-8000.

About LSI

LSI Corporation (NYSE: LSI) is a leading provider of innovative silicon, systems and software technologies that enable products which seamlessly bring people, information and digital content together. The company offers a broad portfolio of capabilities and services including custom and standard product ICs, adapters, systems and software that are trusted by the world's best known brands to power leading solutions in the Storage, Networking and Consumer markets. More information is available at http://www.lsi.com.

SOURCE Super Micro Computer, Inc.

Michael Kalodrich of Super Micro Computer Inc., +1-408-503-8063,
michaelk@supermicro.com; or Linda Capcara of LVA Communications, +1-480-229-7090,
linda@lva.com
http://www.Supermicro.com

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